What is Grief and Loss?

Grief is a natural response to loss. When we experience grief and loss, we’re often met with emotional responses such as shock, confusion, guilt, sadness, anxiety, panic and anger. These emotions can feel extremely overwhelming and can interfere with our daily life, such as making it difficult to think clearly, experiencing disturbed sleep and withdrawing from others.

We can grieve losses of a loved one, relationship, job, friend, pregnancy, or a pet. Commonly, we are grieving death, however grief can also be felt when a relationship is lost, such as a divorce or relocation.

Grief affects each person individually and everyone experiences and copes with loss in a different way. Some people grieve publicly and openly with great shows of emotion, others grieve silently and keep their emotions hidden from others. For some people, grief is easily overcome, for others it takes a long time to pass through the grieving process. Each individual grieves in a way which suits them, their emotions and the extent of their loss.

Although grief is a normal process, therapy can provide you with the support to help manage your difficult emotions. Seeking support for grief and loss does not mean you will stop missing the person or will stop feeling sad when you think about the loss. It will offer a supportive space and skills to navigate the loss and work towards coping and functioning without feeling significantly overwhelmed by the loss.